Blind Faith
by A Cubic Island
Summary: For as long as Kris has known Ralsei, the mystery of the empty kingdom has gone unspoken between them. But during one afternoon, a seemingly innocuous question causes the truth—or rather, the absence of the truth—to come to light at last. And now, with the consequences hanging overhead, Kris knows it's their responsibility to make things right.


Whenever they decided to pay a visit to the Dark World, the long, dusty path to Castle Town was one Kris had grown to appreciate. It offered plenty of time for reflection, and conversation as well.

On most days, they liked to discuss a variety of topics with Susie. Sometimes they'd talk about the day to come, and their plans with Ralsei and Lancer; other days, the two took their privacy as an opportunity to complain. Complain about classmates, or homework, or other burdens on their minds.

But this day was a bit different than most. It was much quieter, with only one occupant on the road.

Susie had texted Kris earlier, explaining her absence from school as a battle with the flu. Kris had no doubt of the severity of her illness—they recalled her sluggishness in class yesterday, and, to their greater concern, her lack of appetite at lunch—, but the timing presented a great challenge. The deadline for their project was coming soon, and by Kris' own admission, little work had been done so far. To get across the finish line, they needed all hands on deck.

And thus, from the ashes of crisis sprouted the seed of an idea.

Up ahead, the familiar confines of Castle Town came into view. Kris straightened their backpack on their shoulders. When they came to the gates of the castle, they pushed them open, and stepped into the courtyard.

"Ralsei?"

"Oh, hi guys! I'll be out in a minute!"

The familiar voice drifted through an open doorway, from the wall to Kris' left. A racket of metal trays followed, and not long after, a green-clad figure rushed out with a smile.

"I was just putting a batch of cookies in the oven. I thought it'd be a good snack for our time today."

Kris couldn't have agreed more. But before they had the chance to vocalize such, Ralsei had taken note of their singular presence. "Kris, where's Susie?"

"She's sick. She didn't come to school today."

"Oh... I understand." Ralsei brought his hands together, to intertwine his fingers. "I'm sure she'll be back soon."

Kris slipped their backpack free from their shoulders, and took it in their hands for Ralsei to see. "We were going to work on our homework later today. Do you think you could help me instead?"

Ralsei, with more enthusiasm than Kris expected, nodded. "Sure! I'll just need a few minutes for the cookies, why don't you go set up in the library?"

Kris turned. At the opposite end of the courtyard was another set of doors, leading to the living area of the castle, and among the rooms within was Ralsei's library. Though they'd only spent a little time there before, they still knew the location from memory.

Behind Ralsei, the oven timer went off. With a startled yelp, he scurried back to the kitchen. Kris watched from the corner of their eye, and a smile crested their lips.

* * *

For either the eight or ninth time, the pencil skittered free from Kris' outstretched hand. It rolled across the table with an irritating drum against the surface, and fell to the carpet.

Ralsei rubbed the back of his head.

"Kris, are you okay?"

"Hm?" Kris lifted their head, and their inattentive gaze took its time to settle upon their companion. "Um, yeah. Why?"

"You look a bit tired. Should we take a break?"

Kris sharpened their focus a bit more. The pages of the book that served as their makeshift pillow had wrinkled, and they weren't sure whether the book was Ralsei's or their own. They didn't even know what the book was _about, _the final push they needed to make a decision.

"I think that's a good idea."

Ralsei offered a smile. Quietly he pushed his chair outward, and came to his feet. Kris mirrored his actions, but not without swiping one of the last cookies from the platter. But before their first bite, they took the opportunity to stretch, and in doing so their eyes ran along the rows of bookshelves.

"You know, have you read all of these?"

"No, only about half. I hope to get to all of them someday, though."

"Only half? That's still a _ton_ of books."

He chuckled. "Yes, I suppose it is. It's easy to lose track."

With loose, drooping shoulders, Kris ambled to a nearby armchair, perched in the corner of the room with a reading lamp and footstool. They sat themself down, arms dangling over the sides, and slid until they were almost entirely horizontal. "Where did all these come from, anyway? Did you collect them yourself?"

"I'm afraid not. Actually, only a few are mine." Ralsei walked to the nearest shelf, and picked a book at random. He dusted the cover with the end of his scarf. "These books have been here for generations."

"Generations? Jeez..." Kris' inflection carried a slightly bored tone, but in reality, the itch to hear more tugged from within. "For this big a collection, it must've been a lot of people."

The small, lingering smile upon Ralsei's features dropped at last. Kris' inquisitiveness was beginning to encroach a bit too close for his liking.

"I'm sure it was."

His voice was kept to a minimum. The end result was Kris switching their posture to sit upright, meeting his gaze with their own; within their eyes, he could see a spark of curiosity alight.

"Ralsei, can I ask you something?"

Through creased brows and a light, near inaudible sigh, he spoke: "What is it, Kris?"

"Why is Castle Town empty? Why are you—"

"I don't know. I've never found out why."

The interruption was curt, and the edge in his voice now plain as day. At last Kris bit their tongue.

The two studied each other wordlessly. Within Kris' features, Ralsei could see the curiosity of earlier was entirely gone. He couldn't quite discern what took its place, but his efforts to decipher came to a halt early. Kris brought their balled fist to their mouth, and coughed.

"Um... maybe we should get back to the project."

Ralsei offered a hum, a sound they surmised as approval. Kris made themself to stand, and sidestepped Ralsei's still form to return to the table. They kept their face ducked away, even as they sat back down, and honed in on their book.

It was a good front, to hide the gathering storm clouds in their mind.

No sooner had the words left their mouth than Kris knew they had made a mistake. They cursed their lack of common sense before speaking up; Ralsei had only offered bits and pieces of his past in prior conversations, little more than fragmented remarks and sentences. His body language made it abundantly clear he had done so intentionally.

Kris wasn't quite sure when the time would be for such a discussion. But for the time being, to bring it up further, even in a damage control capacity, would only make it worse.

Of course, that didn't make the silence any easier.

As their eyes struggled across the lines in their book, Kris' attention continued to stray. Though their brain kept their tongue in place, their heart wanted nothing more than to burst with an apology, to press forward and try to make amends.

And so, to settle the great debate, Kris devised a solution. One they couldn't enact on the spot, but, hopefully, would yield answers when the time was right. They peered over the top of their book to study Ralsei. His expression offered no clues.

_Just wait..._

* * *

As time continued to march forward, and the minutes shifted to hours, Kris kept an eye on their cell phone's clock.

Since their earlier conversation with Ralsei, they haballd rededicated themself to their work with fervor. It seemed he shared their eagerness to leave their chat in the rearview, and with two focused minds working together, solid progress was made on the assignment. Although they weren't quite finished, the rest would be easy cleanup for another day. But when the time approached 6 PM, Kris knew what had to come next.

"Hey, Ralsei?"

Their inquiry earned his renewed attention, sending his eyes from his book to make contact with their own. "Yes?"

"Listen, it's getting a little late. Is it okay if we continue this another time?"

"Oh... of course."

The gap between his initial reaction and response did not elude Kris. But before they could formulate their own answer, Ralsei went from the table to the library door, and waited. Kris hiked their backpack over their shoulders.

He offered a smile.

"Thank you for visiting today, Kris. It was nice seeing you."

"Yeah..."

Kris looked outward. Beyond the doors, the gates to the castle awaited. But just before their first step, they turned to their companion one last time.

"Can I come again tomorrow?"

They knew they didn't even have to ask. But the flicker of surprise across Ralsei's features, coupled with his readjustment of his glasses, told them their question made an impact regardless. "Yes, any time. Do you want to work on your project some more?"

"I don't know... we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Kris shrugged. "But I'll come as soon as school's over, okay?"

Ralsei nodded. "I'll see you then, Kris."

They offered nothing more than a muted goodbye. They filed out of the library, through the courtyard gates, and began the walk to the Warp Door at the outskirts of the castle grounds.

* * *

With an absent mind and sagged eyelids, Kris poked at their meal with their fork.

In part, their lack of appetite served as a self-inflicted wound. Though they carried few regrets, the decision to eat roughly two dozen cookies just a couple hours before dinner was, in hindsight, a poor choice.

But more pressing issues than their sweet tooth lingered. Issues that proved quite persistent in their mind, and unrelenting in their advance.

Their conversation with Ralsei swirled in their memory. They found themself returning to that one particular snippet, time and time again: _"I don't know. I've never found out why." _

Kris hadn't meant to stir such negative emotions with their question, but the damage done was palpable. They couldn't recall a time before, from body language and tone, that Ralsei seemed so downtrodden. And now, well after the deed, they could do nothing but reflect.

Reflect, and wait for the right moment.

"Is everything alright, Kris?"

The air left Kris' throat with a light sound of surprise. They looked up. Across the table, their mother watched them with patient eyes.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You've hardly had a bite to eat," Toriel said. "Are you sure you're feeling well?"

"I'm fine. I had a snack while studying, I'm not very hungry."

Disappointment rippled across Toriel's features, but Kris knew it carried little seriousness. She collected her finished plate, and walked to the kitchen sink to rinse. "Did you get a lot of work done?" she said, deciding to change the subject.

"I think so," Kris said. "We haven't finished the project yet, but we're getting there."

"That's lovely. I'm sure you've done an excellent job."

Kris offered no immediate response. Rather, their placemat provided a place to rest their eyes, with wilted posture and crossed arms to match.

The stage was set, for the execution of their master plan. _No sense in wasting time..._

"Hey, mom?"

Toriel peered up from the sink. "Yes, Kris?"

"I've just been thinking. Have I been _different _recently?"

"Different?" she said. "How so?"

"I don't know... it's something that's been on my mind." Kris scrunched their features in a show of concentration. "I guess, am I—"

They cut themself off abruptly, and paused. The words bubbled to the tip of their tongue.

"... Do I seem less lonely to you?"

Loneliness. They wanted to hear precisely her thoughts on the subject, before deciding their next move. And the response came in the form of a faint smile from their mother. She set the plate in her hands down gently. She walked quietly to their seat, and offered her hand upon their shoulder.

"Kris... I know things have been hard since Asriel left. The house has felt a lot more empty, hasn't it?"

Kris could only stare at the floor.

"But these past few weeks, I know you've been spending more time with your new friends. It seems to me you've tried to connect more." Toriel finished her statement by kneeling, and without hesitation, she took her child in her arms.

"It isn't always easy, to reach out to others. But I know you've worked very hard, and I'm proud of you."

_Reaching out..._

Kris' jumbled, loosened thoughts of before—of their doubts and insecurities, and hesitation in what to say next—seemed to fade in an instant. They thought of Ralsei's isolation in Castle Town, and his status as a prince of an empty kingdom. They thought of a library filled with books, and only one there to read them. But most importantly, they thought of the opportunities he was deprived of. The years spent alone.

He never _had_ the chance to reach out to others. But Kris wouldn't keep him waiting even a second longer.

Kris returned Toriel's hug as best they could. The feeling lasted only for a moment, as she ended the embrace before long; with newfound freedom, Kris pushed their chair outward, and stood.

"I think there's something I need to do. Is it alright if I go out for a bit?"

Toriel exhaled, but offered a nod. "Yes, but please return home soon."

Kris made a noise of affirmation. It was indistinguishable to Toriel, as they had already raced to the foyer, and slipped into their shoes. They ran outside without shutting the door behind them.

* * *

From his perch in his reading chair, buried in the corner of the library with his footstool and overhead lamp, Ralsei turned another page.

Though his eyes glossed over the words, one line at a time, he wasn't quite sure what he was reading. The book was selected only because of its convenient location on the table next to him, and he found it difficult to pay active attention. Something droning on about combat magic, a school he cared little for.

He could feel his attention waning with each passing sentence. He pushed his glasses up a bit, and made a renewed attempt to concentrate. It was a solid effort for a few minutes, until he heard the rustle of gate and chain in the courtyard outside.

Ralsei turned, with an uncertain glare. He set the book down on the table by his side, and stood. He was halfway to the door when a faint knock echoed.

He closed the distance between, and opened the door just a bit. Waiting for him on the other side, with their hands behind their back and head ducked down a little, was Kris.

Ralsei blinked.

"Um... Kris? What are you—"

"Can I talk to you?"

Their interruption was swift, and unapologetic. Ralsei was quick to acquiesce, through opening the door fully, and stepping aside. Kris entered, but not without a quick glance to Ralsei.

It gave him an opportunity to see into Kris' eyes again. The concern of before lingered, even strengthened through the passage of time.

With soundless footsteps, Kris took a seat at the table in the center of the room, the same they'd worked on their project at. Ralsei chose the seat opposite them, and he decided to break the ice.

"I wasn't expecting to see you again today."

"And I wasn't expecting to come back," Kris said. "But something came up."

"Something happened?" Ralsei said. "What is it? Are you okay?" All thoughts of earlier forgotten, his concern was clear from every word he spoke, and it was something Kris found rather reassuring. But all the same, they steeled themself for what had to come next.

"I had a conversation with my mother a little while ago. It got me thinking about what you told me today." Perhaps out of nervous habit, Kris tapped their index finger against their knee. They could see Ralsei's patience remained firm, with his hands folded neatly in his lap, and from behind his glasses, his expectant eyes forging contact with their own.

Kris felt there was no point in beating around the bush.

"Ralsei, I know I might have struck a nerve earlier... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

He couldn't deny the truth of Kris' words. But he held up his hand regardless, and shook his head.

"Kris, it's nothing to worry about. I know you meant no harm."

"But it _is_ something to worry about. I just can't help it..." Kris' voice trailed behind their body language, their dipped head and nervous hands in their lap. "Whenever I think about it, everything I feel keeps snowballing. I can't leave it alone."

Kris scratched the back of their neck. They took a long, still breath, and decided to switch tracks.

"Ralsei, we've all been spending a lot more time together, haven't we?" He nodded, and with this confirmation, Kris continued. "It hasn't gone unnoticed to my family... I'll be blunt with you, it's been lonely since my brother left for college. But I guess I'm coming out of my shell a bit."

As the words leapt from their tongue, Kris was careful to frame this as only part of a larger statement. But they found their efforts were at least partially for naught, as a rather muted smile came to Ralsei.

"That's very good to hear, Kris. I'm glad that things have been better for you."

_For you._

That was where the rub set in, and exactly the direction Kris wanted to go. They discovered a firm conviction within them, confidence projecting from every word.

"But I don't want it to be better just for me. I want it to be better for you too."

Ralsei tilted his head, with slightly furrowed brows to match. But before he could make his confusion known, Kris brought their chair closer to his own, and looked him square in the eyes.

"Ralsei, I want to make a promise to you. Okay?"

He couldn't begin to guess what Kris would say next, but the anticipation set in with haste. He nodded, a gesture beckoning for Kris' continuation.

"I'm going to try to visit as often as I can. There'll be some days I might not be able to, but as long as you'll have me, I'll be here."

Ralsei blinked.

"I... if you want to come here, I'll always be happy for you to visit." His voice was meek, shock quite palpable, but beneath was a rising edge of excitement. "But, Kris, why do you bring this up now?"

Kris stood, and gestured to the room all around. The shelves of books reaching to the ceiling, stretching as far as they could see.

"Because you told me the library's stopped growing. You're gonna need some help from a friend to get the ball rolling again... I'll try to bring some books."

An ear-to-ear smile burst onto Ralsei's features. He too came to his feet.

"Thank you, Kris. I'm very lucky to have you..."

Though not quite as wide as their companion's, Kris' grin told the tale on their end.

Ralsei closed his eyes. The weight of his friend's word beginning to register in full, he was content to simply be in their presence. And only a comfortable silence came between them, no words spoken nor needed.

At least for a little while. After a few more moments, he faintly cleared his throat.

"So... you've come all this way, what do you want to do now?"

Kris looked to Ralsei, their smile morphing to a suddenly blank stare. "I have no idea. Didn't think that far ahead."

Ralsei couldn't contain a laugh, not a sound of contempt and ridicule, but rather, all his joy and positivity. "Well, I might have an idea. Here, come look at this!" He dashed to the table by his reading chair, and collected his book from earlier. "I was reading up on a few spells, would you be interested in any of these?"

Kris' smile returned with a vengeance. They listened happily to Ralsei's lecture, as they sat in the chair next to his, and shifted their eyes to the open book.


End file.
